Rating: 
Summary: an atypical typical Bujold?
Review: I can well imagine the disappointment of those looking for another 'Miles shoots up the bad guys' book; but for me, that's not what Bujold is about. She regularly brings her main character to realise some truth about themselves - here, it's Ekaterin's realisation that she can't go on with her marriage. Then she gives them a risky decision to take - here, Ekaterin's decision to leave - and after taking the risk, her characters stop being stymied by 'what-if' nerves and start being seriously empowered - here, in the 'hostage' situation that winds up being turned upside down (literally). If you read KOMARR as a 'Miles Vorkosigan' book, you will feel adrift; try reading it with Ekaterin as the main character, and the book falls into place with FALLING FREE and ETHAN OF ATHOS. This seems to me a fair addition to the Bujold, rather than Vorkosigan, universe, and I look forward to seeing more of them.
Rating:
Summary: Komarr Vor Wife's Story as well as Miles Grown-Up
Review: Komarr gives this lovely look at what Miles is like now that he's actually grown up, or at least just this side of being a true adult with all the characteristics and all the consequences of his youthful impetuousness. And all his old experiences really, really do come back to, if not haunt him, at least stay with him and give him the room to learn more, to be more, and to do better yet. Old failures leading to new successes. The viewpoints switch mostly between Miles and that of Ekaterin Vorsoisson, the wife of a Barryaran Administrator on Komarr, and it follows Miles and his fellow Auditor (who is also Ekaterian's uncle) Vorsoisson as they investigate the destruction of the majority of Komarr's main sunlight reflector, which the planet needs as an energy source for the terraforming that is necessary to bring it up to livable standards. Unlike the other Vorkosigan novels, there isn't quite as much action. It reminds me, in some ways, of Cetaganda, but entirely a different mystery and Miles, himself, is extraordinary in this one. One thing that Bujold said during the interviews was that the things that happened in Memory were, in part, that she felt that Miles should finally get some consquences, lasting consequences, from his actions. In Komarr I got to see Miles as he was after dealing with those consequences, facing them and trying his best to work with them, now, and not simply deny them or push them off. Ekaterian's story is marvelous, frightening, in some ways as I've way too much empathy for it and her feelings. Her loyalty to a husband who limits her and protects her and does his level best to keep her the way he thinks she should be kept is something that resonates at some level; and how she breaks free, first in desperation, then by necessity is an amazing story in and of itself. I love her, utterly. What's so lovely about her is that Bujold make her a living, breathing, frightened, loving, confused human being. Real in so many ways. As she does with so many of her characters, but I think the baseline of what makes Bujold's books so interesting is that she makes them real, flawed human beings that are put into extraordinary circumstances; and in those circumstances, they respond. They do the right thing, they do the loving thing, they do the loyal or the frighteningly brave thing, the thing that makes my heart go to my throat or make me cry kind of thing that usually involves showing just how much human beings are capable of doing.
Rating: 
Summary: Bujold creates a believable woman to match Miles.
Review: One of Bujold's strengths is her ability to show the consistency of human personalities even in an uncertain, hypothetical future. In "Komarr," she takes a woman caught in an abusive marriage and shows her development into an independent, if wounded, individual. Those readers who think Ekaterine weak are wrong, wrong, wrong. She simply, through no fault of her own, has been caught in a destructive relationship. Admittedly the book focuses less on Miles himself than on Ekaterine and her growing emotional attraction to Miles. But Bujold and Miles both know that Ekaterine must meet challenges and grow on her own in order to find herself. The pace, the plot, are different from prior Vorkosigan books, but in order to remain fresh, the series also must change and grow.
Rating:
Summary: Well written and a slightly less manic Miles
Review: The best thing about Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan is that he seems like a real person with many and varied dimensions as he grows older and grows up. In previous novels, his impetuosity, his driving need to prove himself, even his choice of love affairs were so clearly connected to his youth and inexperience. In KOMARR, Miles continues the journey of maturation that began in MEMORY. The terrorist/political mystery, with Miles spinning out theories and strategy was pure Vorkosigan, in my opinion. The budding romance between Miles and Ekaterin reminded me strongly of Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane in Dorothy L. Sayers' detective novels. KOMARR would correspond to STRONG POISON. Only a woman who can fully appreciate the sometimes damning hold of duty, loyalty and service that delineates the Vor as Bujold writes them will be able to match a man who is the Emperor's most brilliant and valued agent provocateur. Bujold has all of us who are her fans in a holding pattern until the next installment. I, for one, cannot wait to see how Miles continues to grow and unfold as a human being.
Rating:
Summary: Bujold's latest Miles Vorkosigan adventure a worthy effort.
Review: "Komarr" is Bujold's lastest offering in the Miles Vorkosigan series, as Miles draws ever-closer to finding a woman willing to live permanently in his shadow but strong enough to cast one of her own. While this book is certainly as fast-paced and well-plotted as ever, it doesn't quite reach the heights of "Memory" or "Barrayar". Still, Miles' new career as Imperial Auditor is certainly well-suited to his talents and hopefully will generate a wealth of exciting scenarios for years to come!
Rating: 
Summary: Very weak; hoping for better next time.
Review: I was very disappointed in Komarr. It reads as if Bujold was merely setting the stage for her next book, Miles Gets Married. I considered The Vor Game to be weak -- I prefer the ones in which she gets into her characters' heads (Mirror Dance) -- but at least it was amusing. Komorr just feels like half a book. One can tell after a few chapters that the accident itself is not the real story, or Bujold would have gone into more scientific detail. Nor is the personal story engrossing. Ekaterina is not very intersting and totally unlikely as Miles' love interest. In Mirror Dance, Miles tells Rowan that he counts on his parter (i.e., lover) to push back. It is not credible that Ekaterina will do that. She didn't even push back at her childish husband whom she knew was wrong. Why has Bujold written a spineless wife for Miles? Bujold herself say that her best plot-creating technique is to think of the worst thing she could do to that character, then write about it. What is so awful about Miles' situation in this book? She didn't follow her own advice and it shows. (I dread, however, the next time she does this. The obvious worst thing for Miles is Aral's death; I hate to see him go.) The book had two flashes of high points: falling into the pond & Miles' subsequent realization that the laws of physics apply to him; and much about his uncle. They weren't enough to save the book. But I will continue to read Bujold; everyone has a weak book now and then and I forgive her this one.
Rating:
Summary: If you love the Miles character, you'll love this book
Review: I would not give this book to someone new to the series - as a standalone book, it is very subdued, and for those people it would only rate 2 stars. However, if you have read the series and have really grown to care about Miles, then it is a teriffic book. Several reviewers seem to miss the no-holds-barred Miles, but they've missed the point. He has to grow up sometime. At one point Miles says, "I used to always fight the powers-that-be, but now I am them." That, and his new love interest, is what this book is about. The real delight of this book is to see Miles through a newcomer's eyes, but it takes some getting used to compared to the other books. Had I reviewed the book after my first reading, I would have given it only 3 stars. But the depth of Bujold's characterizations and her gift for staging some truly incredible scenes show no signs of weakening here. With subsequent readings, you develop an even better appreciation of exactly what Bujold has wrought. I must take strong exception to those who disdain Ekaterin as a potential partner for Miles. The true achievment here is that Bujold has crafted a character that is truly believable as a possible partner for Miles, a task that I thought impossible after finishing "Memory." Ekaterin starts as an apparently weak person, but that appearance grows from the underlying strength of her character. She is a study in contrasts, but that's nothing new for Miles lovers, eh? No "normal" woman would put up with what she does, but she stands by her committments, and above all, to paraphrase, she's Vor. When relieved of her crushing personal circumstances, she begins to blossom into her potential. This is a consistent theme throughout this series, that Miles is the ultimate enabler of others to be their best. Even while this growth is occuring, however, she remains consistent with her core beliefs. Ekaterin is a truly remarkable achievment. So, why not 5 stars? Because the story line is somewhat weak, and does mainly serve as a backdrop for this new character development. There are portions that flare with the same intensity of the rest of the series, but the resolution does seem a bit too simplistic, and curiously lacking in real planet-gripping edge-of-your-seat drama. Again, this is why this story is not a good one to start the series with. If you feel you know Miles inside and out, though, then various scenes throughout the book (especially the last 4 pages) are a sheer delight to read. Ekaterin provides a perspective on Miles that beautifully sharpens the reader's picture of him. I felt I could see the intensity on his face as he says, "The next number up is one." Want to know what the heck that means? Read the book! Relative to the rest of the series, I would place this book at the lower end, but not the lowest ("Cetaganda" claims that spot - the only book I skipped on my last trip through the series). Still, that puts it in pretty good company, since the series overall is 5-star by me...
Rating:
Summary: Another great chapter in the Miles Vorkosigan saga!
Review: After spending a year breathlessly hoping that Memory wasn't the last of the series, I read about Komarr here at Amazon and immediately rushed to the local bookstore and bought it. Wow! I love Bujold's characters and this time she seems to have created the answer to Miles' dreams and prayers for marriage material in the person of Ekaterine. The end of the book foreshadows a marriage between the two of them...but with Bujold you never can tell. Miles may screw everything up, or someone (Ivan) may screw it up for him! Nothing is ever certain in Bujold's universe, not even death. That is one of the reasons why I've not grown bored with her series. Komarr focuses on both Miles' new associates in the Auditors and on Komarr, the planet his father conquered and the people who hate the name Vorkosigan with all their being. Miles goes with a fellow Auditor to Audit the destruction of the vitally-important solar mirror and ends up discovering a conspiracy (naturally) that takes a wrong turn and goes completely wrong. In the meantime, he falls in love with another Vor's wife! He finally discovers something that's been haunting him for years, grows a bit, and becomes more comfortable with his role as Auditor. I would talk more about it but one of the people I lent Komarr to won't give it back so I have to buy it again. Hey -- anything to keep Bujold writing!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!!!!
Review: This is yet another excellent Miles adventure. In this one his Admiral Naismith days are truly brought to a close and the next chapter in his life is about to begin. It also reveals a Miles we have only gotten glimpses of. It's time to see who Miles Vorkosigan really is. I also truly like Ekaterina Vorvoisson. As a Vor living on foreign territory, she has several difficult situations to deal with and as with most women of the Vor class, she has been raised to look at these situations in a certain way. All in all, this was an excellent story and I look forward ( Lois, HURRY UP!!!!) to the next book.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a crime, but a blunder
Review: Lois Mcmaster Bujold is incapable of writing a truly bad book; her characterizations are too brilliant, her plots too involved, complete, and subtle. But Komarr is a blunder. It blunders not in its specifics (although it is one of Lois's weakest books) but in its direction: it takes the Miles Vorkosigan series from high adventure to low soap opera. Miles does not shine with his usual energy; his love interest is tepid and suggestive of a bad bounce from the formidable Elli Quinn; in this regard the catalog of Miles' lovers presented in the book takes on an air of self-parody. Overall, Lois seems tired and distracted in this attempt to redirect the series (much as she did in Memory, a good novella transparently padded into a feeble novel). Let us hope she either rediscovers her energy and her bearings, or lets the series go to a dignified rest.
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